The San Francisco-based company offers to make meat from water, air and minerals.
A young startup called Air Protein, based in San Francisco, announced the creation of the first ever "air-based" artificial meat. The company took inspiration from NASA's 1960s idea of using carbon dioxide emitted by astronauts to convert microorganisms into food, writes the New York Post. The development was based on hydrogenotrophic microorganisms, which, in the presence of hydrogen, reduce carbon dioxide to methane. Then the energy produced allows the creation of the required proteins - the components of meat.
Air Protein's mission is to feed humanity with air protein foods. According to a press release on the company's website, the protein found in meat is produced by natural processes and is "completely free from the use of pesticides, herbicides, hormones or antibiotics."
A taco that can be prepared using an ingredient from Air Protein.
This involves the elements found in the air, then they are converted into a nutrient-rich protein with the same amino acid profile as the animal, which contains B vitamins. The result is a product that looks like a light brown powder and has a “neutral taste . While it's hard to call it a complete meat, according to the startup, it can be blended with other ingredients to make complete meals, or used as an additive in protein bars and shakes.
Thus, Air Protein plans to produce food - lean burgers, protein-fortified pasta, cereals, drinks, and more - within hours, regardless of weather and season.
“The statistics are clear. Our resources are under extreme pressure, as evidenced by the burning forests of the Amazon, deforestation and increasing drought. We need to produce more food with less dependence on agricultural and water resources. Air Meat solves these and other problems, says Air Protein CEO Lisa Dyson of the University of Berkeley. "We believe that air-based meat is a revolution that will help solve the problem of nutrition for future generations without burdening nature."
Maria Azarova
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